HULK HOGAN WANTED TO BE IN METALLICA. HEY, WHO DIDN’T?
Hulk Hogan was never my favorite pro-wrestler when I was a young ‘un, but he was pretty close. Anyone remember that Wrestlemania where he and The Ultimate Warrior (pretended to) beat the ever-lovin’ shit outta one another? EPIC. Vince and I used to debate if the Warrior had really robbed the Hulkster of his belt ’cause the ref was knocked out when Hogan pinned him, or if he would have won anyway. Then we discovered metal, grew pubes, and stopped caring about big sweaty half-naked dudes in silly costumes.
Oh, wait. Shit.
ANYWAY, a reader known only as “deanerhead” sent us this article earlier today. It’s mostly just Hulk Hogan hocking his new book, My Life Outside the Ring, but it does reveal this interesting tidbit:
Apparently the Hulkster wasn’t exactly a ladies’ man in high school but could hold his own with a bass guitar. Hogan, who made good money playing high schools and fraternities with different bands, said he tried to get back into music even after making it big in wrestling.
“I was in England presenting an award with Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger’s ex, and she told me the [Rolling] Stones were looking for a bass player,” Hogan said. “I sent her a ton of merchandise that she asked for and said ‘Tell Mick I’m a great bass player.’ I never heard a word back.
“When Metallica was looking for a bass player, I called and never heard a word back from them either. I would have quit wrestling in a heartbeat to be a bass player for Metallica.”
I’m not clear if Hogan wanted to audition to replace Cliff Burton or Jason Newstead, but either way, the idea of Hogan joining Metallica is hilarious. For all I know, Hogan is the best bass player in the history of the world, but I don’t think the extra attention he would have brought the band would have been positive. If people can’t take Metallica seriously with a talented dude like Rob Trujillo in the band, how would people react to a guy who runs around the stage ripping his shirt apart and sticking his hand to his ear to encourage louder screams from the crowd?
Y’know what? I take everything I just wrote back. People who think “I Disappear” is a great song would probably love having Hulk Hogan in the band. And, hey, here’s a bonus we missed out on when no one let the Hulkster so much as audition: seeing him in that montage of other possible bassists (Jeordie White, Pepper Kennan, Scott Reeder, etc.) in Some Kind of Monster.
-AR
